Before The Burn
by RowanJade
Summary: Ever wonder what happened before the burn notice that made Michael so isolated? Me too... so here's my idea of it. Put out all at once so you don't have to wait to see if I'll ever finish it...
1. Chapter 1

Title: Before The Burn

**Title:** Before The Burn  
**Warning:** none- no spoilers if you've seen the pilot.  
**Genre: **Drama/Spy stuff  
**Rating:** PG-13 (ish)  
**Word count: **9562  
**Characters:** Michael, Fiona, Sam, Lucy & a bunch of OCs

**Author's Note:** After discovering this show and falling in love with it I kinda started to wonder what happened to Michael before the Burn came. Like why does he refuse to commit to Fiona, or anything else for that matter. What happened to him that made him so isolated? This is what I figured out.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any of the characters of Burn Notice, if I did I'd be a freaking happy girl wouldn't I? Don't bother suing me, I've got less than a burned spy does.

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The thumping rhythm from the party going on outside matched the throbbing of his headache. If he hadn't been so desperate to lay down for a while and try to put all of the chaos together, he would have passed this hotel up. But, after all, it was good cover. He'd been trying for three days to figure out what had happened and why anyone would want to burn him. No warning, no explanation, no 'thanks for all your hard work'. Nothing. Just dumped here in what seemed like hell on Earth. Of all the crappy places on this planet they could have dumped him, they had to pick the town he'd started in.

He'd been seventeen when he left for the Army. Never looked back. Hell, he'd left everything behind he was so eager to get away. Maybe if his dad hadn't been such a bastard it would have been different. But the old man was a bastard, perhaps the king of them, and he'd done everything in his power to make his son feel like dog shit on his shoe. Between the yelling, the nasty words and the occasional fist to the head, it hadn't been a hard choice. The only thing hard about it had been explaining why he was leaving to Nate.

Part of the deal with the recruiter was that he wanted to be as far away from Miami as he could be. So he hopped a bus going west and found himself at the gates of Fort Sill with a grin on his face and high hopes for his future. What he didn't predict was that he would be really good at what the Army taught him. So good, that he was recommended for Special Forces. It was no question that he would be accepted into the program, he was a better shot, and more importantly, a better thinker, than most of the other soldiers around him. He found the process of learning what the tactical officers had to show him refreshing and he excelled beyond his fellow trainees.

Then he came to the attention of the people behind the scenes, black ops departments that didn't exist on paper. The liked what they saw in this brilliant young man and they grabbed him up with glee. Then his real career began, spying for his country. Little by little he was let in on the secrets that kept the government afloat or, alternately, could sink the country if they got into the wrong hands. And he did his part to retain those secrets and barter knowledge to the highest bidder.

For a long time they kept him on a short leash, only letting him out with other, more experienced operatives. They taught him the tricks of the trade and he learned them eagerly. Then he began using his own tricks and dazzling his handlers. Eventually they allowed him to go out on his own and the results he got were enough to convince the handlers that they'd made the right choice. So he found himself off in parts of the world he'd never even seen on a map, spying and gathering information for his country.

XxXxXxXx

He sat at a café in one of the older sections of Anakara waiting for his contact to show up. He'd learned that much of his job was spent waiting. So he used the time to enjoy the strong coffee and learn more about the country he was in. He'd spent so much time in cafes just like this waiting for contacts that he'd been able to read up on most of the Asian countries that he could possibly be sent to and he now knew three additional languages on top of what Special Forces had taught him. He was flipping through a guidebook for China when out of the blue fate hit him.

Fate, in this case, looked like a woman on a bicycle, and he wasn't aware at the time that she was fate, but that didn't matter. What did matter was the fact that she'd just been hit by a truck flying around the corner, and was now lying sprawled in the middle of the street. Mike jumped up and ran to her side, asking in several languages if she was all right. She sputtered and waved him off rising from the ground and attempting to right her bicycle.

"Bastard!" the woman shouted in accented English waving her fist in the direction of the truck which was now long gone.

Mike chuckled at the American curse that came from her. She was obviously of Middle Eastern descent, her dark olive skin was marred on her arm where she'd scraped it on the pavement and now blood was welling up in the wound. "You really should wash that off," he said as he guided her off the street and towards his table at the café.

She spun on her heel and finally took a good look at the man that had come to her rescue, not that she'd needed it. "I'm fine. Thank you." Mike had already dipped a napkin in the glass of water on the table and was now carefully dabbing at her arm. "Ow! Watch it."

His smile got wider and she could see that he was quite handsome. "Sorry." He didn't stop cleaning the wound but he did pay more attention to the woman in front of him. She was stunningly beautiful, blue black hair pulled back in a loose ponytail and delicate features that would obviously remain this pretty long into her golden years. She wasn't terribly tall, maybe five foot seven, but her presence was enough to more than make up for it. He could immediately tell that she was the type of woman that would be the center of attention without any effort. And then he saw her eyes, deep and rich brown with golden flecks around the outside. Something about the way her eyes met his made him tingle in ways he hadn't since puberty hit.

"Thank you, really," the woman said, once more trying to brush his hand aside.

"Okay, just trying to help. You need to have that looked at you know." He pointed down at her arm, which was still bleeding enough that it might require stitches.

When she looked down she blinked for a moment before her eyes rolled back in her head and she fainted. He wasn't expecting that but he lunged forward to grab her before she hit the table and did more damage to her self. He cradled her in his arms and pulled her into his lap as her weight drove him to the sidewalk. "Someone get me a towel and some ice will you?" When no one moved he repeated the request in Turkish and the waiter hurried off towards the main door of the café. The rest of the onlookers returned their attention to whatever they'd been doing before the incident and left Mike alone with the unconscious woman. The waiter returned and pitched the towel and a glass of ice on the table and hurried off like he didn't want to be scolded for letting someone get hurt near the restaurant.

Mike rolled his eyes at the young man and reached for the towel. He dipped it in the water and dabbed it on her forehead for a minute. When she still didn't revive he pulled an ice cube from the glass and moved her hair aside to place it on the back of her neck. When she finally came back around she jerked up from the cold on her skin and nearly collided with his forehead. "Whoa, take it easy." He smiled warmly at her to try to put her at ease. Even though he was rather tan, he was still noticeably American and lots of people in these parts _really _didn't like Americans.

"What happened?"

"Well, I'm not a doctor but I'd say you fainted. You don't like the sight of blood do you?" The woman shook her head and he could see the fear in her eyes. He opened the towel he'd been dabbing at her head with and laid it over her arm so she wouldn't faint again. "You feeling up to sitting up?"

She obviously didn't know where she was because she glanced around before grinning up at him. "Perhaps I should. I'm sorry for troubling you."

He helped her stand and then motioned for her to have a seat in the chair beside his at the table. "It's not a trouble, happy to help. But let me at least clean your arm up a little before you run off okay?"

She nodded and looked up at him from under impossibly long eyelashes, "Thank you."

She let him put her in the chair and she kept her eyes firmly locked on his face as he cleaned the blood and dirt from her scrape. He looked around for the waiter and found no one so he pulled the decorative handkerchief from his suit pocket and delicately wrapped her arm in it tying the makeshift bandage. "Your English is very good."

She didn't answer for a moment; this man who'd rushed to her assistance fascinated her. He was obviously American, young and very handsome. His features were strong and masculine but the crinkled lines near his eyes and lips told her that he smiled a lot as well. He was rather tan, as if he'd been outside quite a lot in this climate but the bronzed skin couldn't hide the scar near his left eye. It wasn't recent but it was still puckered enough that time hadn't worn it down yet. Just that one little flaw made him infinitely more attractive than he would be without it. "Oh, I'm a student. I travel a lot for my studies. It helps to know how to ask for things."

He chuckled as he finished tying off the handkerchief and sat back in his chair. "Good thinking. I'm Mike by the way. Mike Westen."

"Michael," she said rolling the name on her tongue as if she were savoring it like a fine wine. "I'm Raina Hesam."

"Just Mike, I'm not much on formality. Well it's a pleasure to meet you Raina." He leaned back in his chair and reached for his coffee, "Would like something to drink?"

The woman across the table shook her head and smiled, "I'm sorry, I'm late for my class." Then she stood up and wobbled for a moment before sitting back down heavily.

Mike's look of concern amused her slightly, "You might want to rethink that. Rest a while and have a drink with me. I promise I don't bite."


	2. Chapter 2

"And so, here I am."

Raina laughed again, she'd found herself doing that quite a lot this morning. She was very happy that she'd accepted Mike's invitation to stay and have coffee with him, he was much more fascinating than anything she would have learned in class. His stories of his travels were elaborate and fanciful and made her want to visit all of the places he'd described. Plus there was something about his voice that fascinated her and charmed her and made her ache for something more intimate than talking.

"So what about you? What brings you to Anakara?"

Raina sipped her coffee and shrugged, "School mostly, I'm studying history, Ottoman Empire specifically."

"That's a pretty vast topic. What made you decide on that?"

She chuckled, "It's all my father's fault. He was a history major and he taught me to love it at a very young age. I found over time that I had a great appreciation for ancient culture as well so I decided to study something I already loved."

Mike nodded appreciatively, "That makes sense. So are you at Ankara?"

"Oh no, Bilkent. Dr. Inalcik has a marvelous program and it was highly recommended." Michael looked confused so she elaborated, "I'm a transfer from Berkeley."

"Well, that certainly explains the English then. So you're a US Citizen?" He waited for her nod and asked, "So what made you come to Ankara?"

"Have you ever tried to find examples of the Ottoman Empire in California?" When he laughed, she snorted and went on, "So you go to the source. And there's the fact that my dad knows some of the faculty here so that helped."

"Well aren't you just full of surprises then?"

Raina stared at him for a moment over her coffee cup, "I try to be."

XxXxXxXx

Mike's cell phone rang, breaking the conversation that had been going on for several hours. "Excuse me just a moment please," he said before rising from the table and flipping open his phone.

"I can't deliver your package if you have company," came the growl on the other end.

"Oh, I think you can."

"Make other arrangements."

Mike glanced up and down the busy street looking for someplace that he could pick up the documents he'd been waiting all day for. "I take it you've got a visual on me?" There was no reply. "Right, there's a market to the west, I'll leave the payment there. Call me back in 10 minutes and I'll tell you where. You can leave the package and I'll get it when you're gone." The contact he'd been dealing with on this operation refused to meet in person and they'd been going back and forth with dead drops for weeks now.

"Fine."

Mike closed his phone and went back to the table. "I'm sorry Raina; I have to go run a quick errand. I'll be right back okay?"

"I really should be going, I've missed my lecture entirely." She dropped her napkin on the table and got up carefully in case she was still wobbly.

"Oh, please stay? I've really enjoyed talking to you; you're a fascinating woman. I'll only be gone for a few minutes okay?"

He had his briefcase in hand and the pleading look on his face made her smile. "All right. I don't suppose there's much else I'll miss today."

Mike grinned at her, "Fantastic, I'll be right back." He turned and walked down the street to the market where he ducked inside and wandered up and down the aisles for a few minutes looking for a good place to leave the briefcase. He finally decided to stash it behind some boxes of cereal and then went back out into the crowded street. He wasn't out there for more than a few seconds before his phone rang again and he told the contact where the money was. "Leave the package in the same spot. I'll get it in a little while."

When he hung up he started walking back towards the café where he'd left Raina. He saw her as he wove through the crowd and he waved. As he stepped back on to the patio she was just hanging up her own cell phone and putting her hands in her lap. "Sorry about that, business you know?"

She nodded, "What kind of business are you in?"

He grabbed his cold coffee and gulped at it while he thought of something. It wasn't too often he had to come up with a cover story on his own. On this assignment he was just supposed to meet the contact, get the information and wait for new orders. He certainly hadn't expected to meet Raina, much less want to spend more time with her. Something about her just enthralled him. Maybe it was the fact that she was also an American? It had been a long time since he'd had the pleasure of a woman's company. Most of the assignments he'd been on recently had been in the Middle East and Russia and social standards being what they were these days, didn't lend to dalliances with the locals unless he wanted to pay for it. He had his fair share of 'girlfriends' back in the states but nothing that was even close to being a permanent basis.

After being witness to the disaster that his parents were growing up he wanted to have the exact opposite for his own life. His mother had tried so hard to make them happy but nothing could overcome the shadow of his father's anger. Dad had taken out his frustrations on everyone in the family, Mike especially. The beatings and the yelling never seemed to stop. And she'd never admit it, but he could hear his parents late at night, yelling, things being thrown and broken, and all too often mom would come into the kitchen the next morning with a fresh bruise. Both he and Nate had talked of better days, when they'd be old enough to escape and lead happy lives with people that loved them.

But a spy's life didn't usually involve picket fences and two point five children, unless you believed the movies. And one thing Michael had learned over the years was that the reality of what he did was nothing like the movies. So maybe he was wasting his time by sitting here with this woman, but the small amount of comfort and normalcy that it gave his hectic life was worth it.

"Um, well I work for a commodities broker," he said finally.

Raina nodded and smiled at him, "Well that just sounds fascinating."

"No it doesn't." Mike shook his head and grinned back at her. They both laughed at that for a minute before the silence became uncomfortable. "Would you show me around?"

"Show you around what?" she asked.

Mike waved his arm in the direction of the street, "The city. Show me something historical and fascinating." He rose from his chair and walked around behind her to pull her chair out for her.

"You're joking right?" Her smile was hesitant like he was about to try something.

"Look Raina, you're studying this city and it's history. I'm bored and have nothing to do until Thursday. I always like finding out about the cities I visit but I hate being a tourist so…?"

Realizing he didn't mean her any harm she agreed, "All right then, let's go."

XxXxXxXx

They spent hours wandering around the streets of the city. Mike couldn't recall ever having a nicer afternoon that didn't involve large amounts of high explosives. Raina was intelligent and witty and so easy to talk to he felt like he'd known her his whole life. Her laughter over various jokes and comments put his heart at ease and he almost felt like a normal person. He forgot all about the deadlines and the covert operations and even the gun sitting at the small of his back and lived his life like he'd dreamed about as a kid.

He offered her dinner and she graciously accepted, so they dined in a marvelous little restaurant that they'd been enticed into by the delicious aroma wafting out of it's door. As they chatted and joked over dinner Mike felt like something in his life made sense for the first time in a long span of years. He wondered what his life would be like if he quit the spy game and found a nice woman to settle down with. Of course that probably wouldn't happen, he was very good at what he did and the government didn't like to let go of assets they could keep using. So he resigned himself to pretending for the night and enjoying it while he could.


	3. Chapter 3

He'd put Raina out of his mind as soon as he'd seen her back to her apartment. She was a convenient way to pass the time and he stopped trying to kid himself that it was anything more. They'd walked along the darkened streets of the city for a long time, laughing and talking, finding out that they had a great deal of similar interests and ideas. And when they arrived at her apartment he was a perfect gentleman. She'd returned his ruined handkerchief to him and he smiled sadly as he shoved it in his pocket.

"I've had a wonderful day Mike, thank you. I wish it could be more." Oh god how she wished it could be more. He was exactly what she'd pictured in fantasies over the years of the perfect man that would come and sweep her off her feet.

He sighed in the cool night air, "So do I." He shoved his hands in his pants pockets to keep from plunging them into her hair to see if it was as soft as he imagined it would be and then kissing her blind. He settled instead for a promise to look her up the next time he was in the Berkeley area and a long, lonely walk home.

He'd left the city the next afternoon, his assignment cut short and another waiting for him. Soon he'd lost himself to the game once again, any thoughts of a normal life taking kids to soccer practice long gone with wars breaking out and terrorist bombings becoming nightly news. He found himself deep into his job, not having time to think of anything other than what was required to get the job done. After several months of constant globe hopping and so many identities he couldn't possibly name them all, a nice break in the action came in the form of a dinner party.

He was partnered with a striking Chinese agent named Lucy for the event and once he met her he wasn't the least bit troubled by it. Lucy was petite and beautiful and had a good head on her shoulders. Plus she'd been trying to infiltrate this ring of smugglers for months. The deal was that while Lucy had been trying to get into this smuggling outfit she'd discovered that they weren't just moving stolen goods and drugs but information that could destroy the U.S. government if it fell into the wrong hands. One of the leaders of the group had found a buyer that was looking to take our some high profile targets on American soil and the information would help him. So Lucy had reported in and they'd sent Mike and two other agents in to stop the deal or retrieve the data.

"Would you stop fidgeting? You're making me itch," Lucy said in a whisper from the other side of the limo.

"I can't help it, there's too much starch in this damn thing." He never had liked wearing a tuxedo but every once in a while the operation called for it. One of these days if he thought about it long enough he'd actually invest in one of his own and not have to depend on short notice and horrible cleaners.

Lucy rolled her eyes at him and clutched her purse tighter, "So you remember everything? You not going to screw up are you? I've been working on this one for a long time." She'd built her cover as an art dealer based in Hong Kong for a while and had finally gained the trust of the smugglers when she started agreeing to help them smuggle stuff out of China in her shipments.

Mike's smirk was lost in the darkness, "Relax Lucy, I've got it covered. Just mingle and do your part and things will be fine."

Their conversation was cut short as the limo arrived at the entrance to the building. Mike held out his arm for Lucy and she plastered a dazzling smile on her lips and took it. The presented their invitation to the doorman and were told to enjoy themselves. The party they were attending was supposed to be a charity function benefiting some NATO sponsored charity but it was also a way for high-powered drug cartel members to do business with weapons dealers and other clientele. The place would probably be crawling with security so it would be hard to find what they were looking for without being noticed but they had a good plan and as long as no one started checking their credentials too closely it wouldn't be a problem.

Mike stayed with Lucy for a while until she signaled that she was going to try to get into the locked room that the information should be in. Once she left he grabbed a glass of champagne and scanned the crowd. Several people were dancing in the middle of the room and he watched them until Lucy returned with a frown on her lips. "No luck. I need to tell Ted and he can have a go at it," she whispered as he handed her the glass of champagne.

Mike had already found Ted as he was scanning the crowd so he escorted Lucy to the dance floor and began twirling her towards the other agent. Before they got close enough to him, he and his partner left the dance floor and were standing at the edge of it chatting with a Russian crime lord who was pretending to be a legitimate member of society. "Your shoe is going to catch on your skirt in a minute," Mike said under his breath in German. His cover was that he was a diamond dealer out of Antwerp so speaking German would be normal.

Lucy didn't hesitate and she stumbled backwards into the Russian dealer and started apologizing profusely in Chinese. The Russian looked confused and asked her if she was okay in his own tongue. Now it was Lucy's turn to look confused because while she did speak Russian, her cover persona did not.

Mike stepped up beside her also apologizing to the man but now in Russian. "I am so very sorry friend."

"It is no trouble. Is the lady okay?"

Mike asked Lucy in hesitant Chinese, "The gentleman wishes to know if you are all right."

Lucy smiled and nodded and replied in rapid fire, "Of course I am fine, please apologize for me I am so very sorry. I am so clumsy." The she leaned against Mike's arm and fiddled with her shoe and the hem of her dress for a moment to sell the act. "My heel must have caught in my hem. How can I apologize?"

"The lady is fine, thank you for your concern. And once again you have our apologies," Mike said switching back to Russian.

"As I said it is no trouble. And thank your for the translation my friend."

"Of course, it gives me a chance to keep my Russian fresh so I thank you." Mike grinned and held out his arm to Lucy.

"And what line of business are you in that you need so many languages?" The Russian's question was just what Mike was hoping to hear. If he could keep the crime boss occupied then Lucy could pass a message to Ted.

Michael chuckled and looked back at the man, "Oh I'm a diamond dealer. Are you in the market for a nice piece for your wife?"

The Russian laughed loudly, "Heavens no!" He held out his hand to Mike, "I am Anatoly Borichevskiy, pleased to make your acquaintance."

"Michael Verstraeten, likewise. So what line of work are you in?"

Anatoly was about to answer when a pair of women wandered up behind the big Russian and one of them slipped an arm around his waist. The woman was mostly hidden behind his bulk until Anatoly turned and faced her, "Ah Katya my dear. Allow me to introduce my new friend Michael Verstraeten. Michael, meet Katya my lovely companion for the evening."

When the woman came into view Mike's jaw twitched for a moment before he smiled to cover his disbelief. Standing in front of him was the woman he knew as Raina.


	4. Chapter 4

Her eyes went wide for the briefest of moments before she beamed at him and held out a hand, "It is an honor to meet you Mr. Verstraeten."

She was speaking in flawless Russian but he didn't allow that to upset his poise. He gently took her hand and placed a chaste kiss on her knuckles, "The honor is all mine."

"So you've been keeping my Tolya company? You must be quite a charmer then."

Anatoly shook his head and guffawed as Mike replied, "Perhaps but obviously no substitute for your company."

"Oh I like him Tolya," she cooed as she wrapped her arms around Anatoly's. "And what brings you here tonight Mr. Verstraeten?"

There was no hesitation before the cover story came out, "Oh I am accompanying Ms. Takato for the evening," he said nodding towards Lucy who was now chatting with the woman who had arrived with Raina or Katya in broken bits of German. "She needed an escort and I was in town on business." He laughed as if it were an inconsequential thing, "Our paths often cross like this."

"Michael here is a diamond dealer Katya. Perhaps he will give me a good deal on a nice bauble for your neck."

Raina or whatever her name was laughed and batted at the big man's arm. "Nonsense Tolya, there is no need for such frivolities."

"Ah, and what could possibly make your neck more beautiful hey?" He pointed at the woman's neck and waggled his eyebrows at Michael, "She is perfection yes?"

Mike took a moment to examine her as asked and he found that while she was the same woman whom he'd met in Ankara she was very different from before. Gone was the shy college student and in her place was an elegant sophisticated woman. She was wearing a full-length dress made of some shiny material that clung to her curves like a second skin. The midnight blue material draped across one shoulder with a band of crystals and the other shoulder of tawny skin was tantalizingly bare. She'd swept her hair back in an elaborate riot of curls and at some point she'd added several colors of highlights to the hair Mike remembered as just raven colored.

"She is indeed a beautiful woman."

Raina nodded at the compliment, "You flatter me unnecessarily. I get quite enough of that from this great bear." She squeezed the Russian's arm again possessively and then bounced on her toes, "Dance with me Tolya, I feel energetic."

Anatoly rolled his eyes at Mike and then frowned at the woman on his arm, "Darling I need to finish my business with Beckter first. Go get something to eat why don't you?"

"But I'm not hungry, Zaychik. I wish to dance." She even stomped her foot a little as she pouted at him.

Anatoly huffed and turned to the people around him looking for someone to pass the woman off on. Mike who had been looking over at Lucy who was now conversing with Ted seemed like a viable option, "Michael my friend, will you dance with my Katya? I need to complete some business."

Mike tried to look surprised by the question, "What? Oh, yes of course my friend. It seems I am out of the conversation anyway," he nodded towards Lucy and the others with a smile.

Raina smiled at Anatoly and tipped up on her toes to kiss him on the cheek, "Thank you darling," she said before reaching for Michael's outstretched hand. "Thank you too Mr. Verstraeten it's not often I can get Tolya out on a dance floor." She smiled as they made their way to the dance floor and began a waltz.

Mike raised an eyebrow at her after a moment and asked, "So what's your real name?"

She laughed softly, "I told you my real name."

"Right, so I'll just call you Ray. I had an uncle named Ray; he was a bit of a liar too. And, and I guess you're not a student in Ankara any more?"

"No more than you are an American commodities broker." He tipped his head at her to signify her point and then they continued to dance, both wondering who had the upper hand now. Raina moved a little bit closer to him and dipped her head towards his neck, "God, you smell marvelous."

Mike smiled at that, "And you look absolutely gorgeous."

"Thank you," she said as she looked into his eyes trying to read the secrets written there. "I don't bite you know."

He couldn't help but smile at her words; it was the same thing he'd told her back in Ankara. "So should I be worried about your appearance here?"

"Relax Michael, we're on the same team."

"Are we now? And how do I know that?" he pressed his hand into the small of her back slightly drawing her body closer to his. Even though she could be a danger to him, he couldn't help but be excited by her presence. He was remembering the deluge of feelings he'd had for her before and now that flood was more than doubled as she swayed to the music against him.

"Call your handler and he'll verify me." She ground herself against his hip enticingly. She was just as turned on as he was and she really wanted to kiss him right now, but that would jeopardize everyone here. She knew that there were other agents here tonight, some from the US and lots more from other agencies but they were all pretending the others didn't exist for this one night as they silently made alliances and gathered information that could be used later. So she settled for dancing and let the rest of what she wanted to do with this man remain in her fantasy for the time being.

She'd been thinking about him since he left her at the apartment she had pretended was hers that night in Ankara. He was definitely the most attractive man she'd seen in a long time and she'd been hoping that he would take the chance and kiss her that night so that she could push the situation to a more intimate level. But he'd been a gentleman and she had lain in her hotel bed that night wondering if he was a good lover. Now she had a second chance to find out and she really didn't want to let the opportunity pass again.

"So are you looking for the same thing?" His question confused her for a moment since her train of thought had been on intimacy instead of work. The confusion must have shown on her face because he clarified, "Are you here to get the Turkish piece?"

"Oh, no. I'm working a different op."

"Anatoly?"

"Mmm-hmm," she probably should get back to him before he finished talking to Beckter in case something useful came of it but she was enjoying the heat of Mike's body pressed against hers too much to break away. Deciding to take a chance she looked up at him, "Got any plans for later?"

He smirked at her and wondered if she was thinking the same thing he was. Something about the way she was rubbing up against him led him to believe that was the case. Oh, good heavens, how he hoped that was what she meant. "Unless they shoot me for stealing back something that is ours, no. You?"

"I am just here for the party. He likes to have a pretty girl on his arm for these things. Much better than his hideous wife. I should be allowed to leave when he's done with his business." Mike smiled seductively at her and looked into her eyes. "You really should have kissed me in Ankara you know."

"I've been kicking myself for that error in judgment ever since."

She laughed at his words, "So have I."

The music died down as the song ended and everyone on the floor clapped politely before making their way back to whatever group they'd come from. Mike placed a hand on the small of Raina's back again and escorted her back to the Russians. "Where will you be later?" he whispered as the walked.

"Depends on what he wants," she hissed back through a perfect smile as the stopped near the rest of the group.

Mike went to Lucy's side and checked in with her as Raina smiled and said something to the woman Lucy had been talking with before. Lucy told him that Ted was going to retrieve the data later in the evening and their part was done. Mike wanted to ask her if she'd mind sticking around so he could spend more time with Raya but she looked like she was ready to make her exit. She said her goodbyes to Ted and his 'date' as Mike wandered back to Anatoly's side.

"Ah Michael my friend, thank you for dancing with Katya. She keeps dragging me out there when all the time I say no. I don't think she understands that business needs to come first. So you have done me a great favor."

Mike grinned, "It was no trouble Anatoly, your woman is what every man dreams of and few ever find. You are a very lucky man."

The Russian laughed a great big booming rumble and clapped Mike on the shoulder. "So you will have to come do more business in Russia then and find yourself one of our beauties."

"I will have to yes," he patted the big Russian on the arm in return and nodded his head to take his leave. "You'll have to give me some business then and put a beautiful stone on your lady's neck. Yes?"

"Indeed my friend, I will do that. Now, if you will excuse me, business calls."

Mike allowed him to leave and glanced to the door before moving towards where Raina was now standing having a conversation with other members of Anatoly's syndicate. "Katya," he said softly as he walked up next to her. "I want to thank you again for the dance."

"No it is I who should thank you. If only Anatoly would dance with me," she sighed wistfully. "Well it was a pleasure to make your acquaintance then."

Mike smiled and bowed as he took her hand and once again kissed her knuckles. He also pressed the key card for his hotel into her palm, "The pleasure was mine dear lady."

As she clutched the plastic card in her hand she leaned over and gave him the standard Russian kiss on both cheeks to give him an opportunity. He of course used it and whispered in her ear on the second kiss, "Twelve twenty." When he pulled back from her she winked at him and gave him a little finger wave as she tucked the key card into the top of her dress.


	5. Chapter 5

Raina stood in the lobby of Mike's hotel wondering if this was a good idea. She'd been going back and forth in her mind for over an hour, debating if going to his room would get her into trouble or not. Of course they were both adults and not even their employers would care if they were intimate with each other, but what made her hesitate was how she felt about him. She'd been remembering the hours she'd spent with him for months now. The thoughts would pop into her head at the most random times and she couldn't help but smile every time they did.

Chewing her lip and checking her appearance in a mirror she made up her mind and crossed the marble floor of the lobby to the elevators. As she rode up she allowed her mind to wander and fantasies of his lips on her own sent shivers down her spine and warmth through her body. By the time the elevator reached the twelfth floor she was eager to be near him again and hoping desperately that she wasn't going to make a fool of herself.

She knocked softly on his door in case he was asleep, it was well after midnight and she really didn't want to disturb him. After a minute of waiting the door opened and she found Mike smiling at her. "I wasn't sure you'd come."

She smirked at him and studied his physique. He was still wearing the tuxedo, just without the jacket and tie and even though it probably wasn't tailor made it sure did fit him well. The pants skimmed his lean hips and hugged his muscular thighs like a glove. When he leaned against the doorframe she watched the muscles in his arms and chest move with grace and ease and she knew that every movement he made was precise and deadly but also beautiful. This was a man she could spend years trying to figure out and never even scratch the surface and she desperately wanted to give it a try. She watched his eyes moving over her body in return and she could practically feel the heat from his gaze slide over her skin.

"So are you going to come in or not?"

She said nothing as she waited for him to move aside, then she stalked around him into the room. "Wow, you've got a better room than me."

Mike closed the door behind her and stood watching her move across the room. The material of the dress she was wearing accentuated her body in a way that made him ache. She was such a beautiful woman it was hard to believe that she wasn't some picture in a magazine, but yet here she was, prowling his room with the lithe deadly grace of a jungle cat. He could smell the perfume she wore in the room and it sparked an image of her naked on his bed. He smiled at the unbidden thought and wondered if he could make it come true.

She had made a full circle of the main part of the room and was now coming back towards him, a seductive look in her eyes and a half a smile on her lips. "You're watching me," she said softly.

"Can't help it," Mike replied as he stepped forward to meet her, tangling his fingers in her hair and pulled her into the kiss he'd wanted to give her for months.

Raina fell into the kiss as the scent of his cologne washed over her and her body exploded with desire and need. Her hands trailed up his arms and over his strong shoulders exploring his body and delighting in what her touch did to his body in return. She could feel him grow hard and ready as he ground his hips against hers and her own excitement grew equally. Mike turned them and backed her into the door of the room, his hands groping at her, fueled by his lust. He wondered for a brief instant what was making him this way; his lack of hesitation to dive into her completely was more something Nate would do. As fast as the thought came it left and he lost himself totally in her touch.

They explored each other for the rest of the night, finding creative ways to tease and delight each other. Raina floated on a cloud of ecstasy at Mike's touch and prayed that this feeling of utter bliss would never end. Mike was just as engrossed in her as she was in him and he had a fleeting thought that he'd love to continue this interaction for a very long time.

When the sun rose and sounds of life started echoing in the hallways they lay tangled together in the sheets and dozing, safe in each other's arms. Mike's cell phone ringing on the nightstand brought them back to reality and he reached for the offensive device. "What?" he growled.

Raina could hear the tinny voice of a man coming through the phone as Mike rolled and covered her body with his own. She put a look of surprise on her face and smiled as he slid his leg in between hers. He moved gently on top of her, making his intention very clear as he listened to the person on the phone. Then he stopped and rolled off her suddenly, rising from the bed and walking across the room to a file on the small table near the bathroom. He flipped through a few pages in it and scanned the information with his finger as he asked questions to the caller. "Son of a bitch! All right, I'm on it."

He flipped the phone closed and smacked the file before turning back to Raina. His face instantly went from angry to loving and she smiled at his obvious attention to the fact that she was laying in a very seductive pose, completely bare to his gaze. He tossed the phone on the table and came back to the bed sliding up her body with a trail of kisses. "You wouldn't feel like going on a field trip with me would you?"

She smiled as he wrapped his arms around her waist, "Sounds like fun, what's the plan?"

"The plan is that I'm going to make love to you a couple more times and then we're going to go retrieve something that doesn't belong to the bad guy that has it right now. How's that sound?"

"Oh god yes!" she cried as he found her most sensitive spot.

XxXxXx

Late that afternoon, they left her hotel across town and walked down the street pretending to be tourists. They held guidebooks and Raina had a camera that she was busily using to snap pictures of buildings and sights. They worked their way through the city to a museum near where the party the previous night had been held. Mike ducked inside and got them some brochures and they then went back to the large building the party was in. It was a Sunday so no one would be in the building except for a security staff.

Raina went in first, asking questions to the guard at the door in English and pretending not to understand a word he said as Mike slipped in the building behind the confused guard. She occupied the guard for several minutes to give Michael enough time to slip past any monitors that would alert the guard to his intrusion and then she left and headed off around the corner where she waited for Michael.

Ten minutes later he met her across the street with a grin on his face. "I take you got what you wanted?" she asked as he held out his arm for her.

"Yup, you and I make a good team," he said as he slipped his arm around her waist and kissed her cheek.

She laughed and laid her head on his shoulder as they walked along the street headed back to his hotel.


	6. Chapter 6

Mike and Raina met up with each other every chance they got. Their schedule of assignments didn't often coincide but they called each other often and whenever they were close enough to spend some time together they did, completely enraptured with the pleasure they could give each other. While they did have some free time to spend exploring whatever city they were in and attempting to pass as normal people, most of their time they spent making love to each other with pent up feelings that filled them in their time apart.

Mike found himself thinking about Raina more and more as the time passed. He often had daydreams of her meeting him at the door of a nice suburban home with a kiss and news of whatever their children had done that day. The fantasy was everything he'd ever dreamed of growing up but never had and he resolved to make as much of it as possible come true. He tried to find someone to talk to about his plans but the more he looked the more he realized that other than Raina, he was truly alone in the world. His mother was half a world away and he couldn't talk to her in any event. Nate hated him still for leaving home and other than some colleagues who had lives of their own to worry about he had no real friends. That realization made him even more certain that wanting to have a life with Raina was right for him. She of all people would understand his secrecy and the way he thought. Plus, whenever he was with her, either in person or on the phone, the weight of the world seemed to lift from his shoulders and he could be calm.

After nearly a year of their spur of the moment meetings and long phone conversations, Mike decided to act upon his feelings. He found a nice ring and made plans with her to meet for a weekend between assignments. They met at a restaurant they'd enjoyed before and had a lovely dinner as they talked and caught up with each other's lives. Afterwards they walked along the quiet streets on their way back to the hotel room Mike had booked.

"So I've been thinking a lot recently," Mike said abruptly.

Raina laughed, "Well that's never a good thing."

He glared at her playfully and stopped walking so he could face her, "I'm being serious Ray. You and I do make a good team. Seriously, like I can't think of anyone on this planet I'd rather have at my back." He gave her a minute to mull that over as he watched the lines near her eyes deepen as she narrowed her gaze at him trying to read what he was thinking. "Anyway, I uh…"

"You uh?"

Taking a deep breath he reached into his pocket and pulled out the ring he'd bought for her, "Will you marry me Ray?"

Her eyes went wide and she gulped loudly, "Is this a joke Mike?"

"No, I'm serious. You're the only person I can talk to. And the only person that will listen to me. I…god I can't live without you Ray. I mean it. You're the best thing that's ever happened to my life and if you say no I'm going to have to shoot you."

"Well what if I shoot you first?"

He blinked at her in confusion before she broke out in giggles. "C'mon Ray, I'm trying to be serious here."

She clamped her teeth down on her lower lip to stop the laughter and she tried desperately to look serious, "Okay, fine. I'm serious."

"No you're not," he groaned and rolled his eyes before he wiped his hand down over his face in frustration. "Why do I even bother?"

Raina chuckled once more before putting her arms around his neck and pulling his face to her own, "Because you love me. And I love you too."

He kissed her tenderly and looked at her, searching her eyes for any indication of her answer. "I do love you. So, will you marry me?"

She chewed her lip for a moment before wiping all emotion from her face, "I really don't know what to say."

One side of his lip turned upwards and he grinned at her, "How about yes? You can have this nifty ring if you do."

"You're a crazy man you know? Seriously Mike, how do you think this is going to work? I mean we're on opposite sides of the world most of the time. That doesn't make a good marriage work."

He threw his hand up in the air in frustration, "I don't know. Damn it Ray, I don't care about that crap. What I care about is you. You're the piece that's been missing from my life and I really don't care if you're half a world away from me, as long as I know that you'll come back to me when you're done." He reached out his hands for her and she took them, "Besides, we always find a way to get some time together. We're sneaky like that."

"They're not going to let us get away with it." She didn't bother to elaborate on who she was talking about, he knew. "You know they don't want their operatives to even have dates."

"So we won't tell them. Fuck them. They don't need to know."

Raina crossed her arms over her chest and looked pensive, "Let me have some time to think about it okay?"

Mike's grin was instantaneous, "Of course! You take whatever time you need," he pulled her into a hug and kissed her on the top of her head before taking her hand and sliding the ring onto her finger.


	7. Chapter 7

Michael opened his eyes and was met with the same tacky yellow ceiling he had last seen. He had been half-heartedly hoping that when he opened his eyes again he'd be someplace better, someplace that didn't remind him of everything he'd lost. He rolled himself up and put his feet down on the muddy brown carpet that had seen much better days. The ache that was building behind his eyes was going to be a full-blown migraine in an hour if he didn't do something about it. It was probably from the stress of all that had happened. Not only had the Nigerians beat the crap out of him, broken some ribs and added a scar to his collection of them, but also the whole being dumped in Miami thing just capped it. And then there was Fiona, which was a whole month of migraines right there.

He winced as he stretched his back out and the pain shot through his side from the broken ribs, reminding him once again that he was not indestructible. His hand absently strayed to his side, running over the ribs that were aching and the long scar that covered them. The pain from the fractures was nothing compared to the pain behind that scar. God, if only he could put that out of his mind once and for all. But he knew it would never happen, nothing could ever excise that memory.

He rose from the bed and put on the same dirty clothes he'd been wearing for three days and decided to do something about this mess he was in. If he could figure out who had blacklisted him he could probably work out a deal or something that would return his semblance of a life to him. It had been so long since he'd done anything that would be considered normal that it was hard to remember how to live as a private citizen. He pondered the dilemma for a few minutes and then remembered that Lucy Chen was here in Miami. She'd retired from the business a couple of years back and now was working for some security company in town catering to rich folks with paranoia. Maybe she could help him find something.

He grabbed the phone book and started flipping through the pages as he called information for her number.

XxXxXx

Getting the address for the company Lucy worked for was the easy part, actually getting in to see her was another thing. He'd gone and gotten a delivery company uniform and pretended to have an urgent package for her and once he finally got in, the smile on her face was enough to give him a slim hope that everything might just work out. She hadn't been able to give him much but she did give him some information and she promised to call Sam Axe to see if he had any work that Michael could pick up. Michael had worked with Sam a couple of times in the past and they had gotten to be pretty good friends.

Now Michael was walking up to the bar that Sam said he'd meet him in and trying hard not to look like he'd had the snot beaten out of him. "Hey Sam, how's it going?"

"Mikey! Wow, you look like shit."

They shook hands and Michael sat down across from Sam, "Please Sam, it's Michael now."

"Yeah whatever, you'll always be Mike to me."

Michael winced at the name; it brought back so many memories. He'd tried to put that part of his life behind him by using his full name instead of the shortened version he'd preferred in his younger days.

Sam talked for a while and Michael listened before he broached the topic of this meeting. Sam's eyes went wide when Michael told him about how he was going to find out who had burned him so he could get back in to the game. But Sam understood, he'd played the game long enough himself. Sam, however, wasn't like Michael. Sam had easily returned to civilian life after he'd gotten out of the business, now he was enjoying life and making up for lost time spent in the service of his country.

"So Sam, you in or out?" Michael asked.

"What, helping you figure out who burned you? Yeah, I'm in."

"Good," the younger man replied, his mind whirling as he thought about how much he wanted his life back. All of it, not just his job. He wanted the past back too, the laughter, the good times, all of it. And he knew that he couldn't get it all back, but finding out who had burned him would be a step in the right direction. So that's just what he would do and nothing could stop him.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

So yes, there is another part to this coming. It'll pick up in the middle of season 2...right about where we are now. So if you haven't watched up through the mid season cliff hanger, ya might want to. Mainly because it's a damn good show.


End file.
